By: Michael Himlie, reprinted with permission, first
published Sept. 25, 2017 on https://cptmediterranean.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/moria-is-like-a-prison/
“Moria is like a prison” stated a Kurdish refugee at a
demonstration outside the camp. This is a phrase said by nearly every refugee I
meet and talk with on Lesvos. “Moria is like a prison” I hear again as I walk
alongside the four meter tall fence lined with razor wire, riot police on my
other side.
As I walk with a resident, or rather a prisoner of Moria, he
explains to me the human rights violations and ill treatment of refugees by
Greece and the wider European Union. He sleeps in a small room with nine
others, receives one meal a day, has limited amounts of water and electricity,
and considers a lucky day to be one where there is enough water available to
take a quick shower.
I have been on Christian Peacemaker Team Lesvos project for
one week now and been to Moria twice. Moria is found inland of the coast on the
island, where the soil cracks from little moisture and the sun’s heat makes it
feel far more like a desert than the Mediterranean. As beads of sweat role down
my back, the smell of human waste assaults my nostrils from lack of adequate
sewage instillation in the camp. Technically, Moria camp is a hospitality
center for refugees to spend 25 days, there they are processed and begin the
asylum procedures. However, these refugees are on a small island. They carry
with them nothing but a few personal possessions and the fear of death or the
memory of torture from their homeland, and in many cases they are stuck for
months in Moria with no end in sight.
Laws and regulations for asylum processes are different for
each nationality. They change often and without notice, confusing, altering and
prolonging the resettlement process. Such changes on paper result in thousands
of refugees being forced to endure the nearly uninhabitable conditions of Moria
as they wait in limbo for their cases to be processed. In many cases the
outcome is simply that the refugee will be sent back to Turkey, or what is
worse, their homeland — both of which are extremely unsafe for them. “People
have no future here,” states a Moria prisoner, who has spent 15 months there
and is still awaiting the results of his asylum case.
Intimidation tactics are also commonly utilized by Greek and
European Union authorities. Two months ago there was a peaceful protest that
was led by Moria prisoners. In the night following the protest authorities
raided the part of the camp where the Northwest African refugees were housed
and arrested 35 black refugees. None of the refugees had committed crimes and
some of those who were arrested were not even present at the protest. Nonetheless
these 35 refugees await their hearing and face the consequences of years in
prison unjustly. Court cases are still pending, but the arrests have depleted
the number of peaceful actions, causing refugees to fear unjust arrest and
deportation for speaking the truth about their lives.
Despite the harsh realities of suffering, there is amazing
work being done here in Lesvos as well. Apart from the humanitarian aid work,
accompaniment and monitoring, legal aid for refugees, there are also, arguably
most importantly, refugees mobilizing and taking action. They are demanding
that the laws which are already in place simply be followed by the governing
bodies that have the responsibility and resources to help. There is much
disparity on Lesvos, but also much hope and beauty. May their voices and our
voices unite to add to this hope.
Hello, my name is
Michael Himlie. I am from Harmony, Minnesota, U.S., and have been a long
follower of IPN's great work. I recently graduated from the Peace Studies
Institute at Manchester University, with particular emphases on mediation,
philosophy, and religious bases for violence, with a focus of the occupation of
Palestine under Israel, and the U.S. I spent one year with Brethren Volunteer
Service, and worked with many peace and justice based organizations within the
Church of the Brethren. I am working for a short time with CPT on the island of
Lesvos, Greece, with refugees crossing from Turkey to Greece and the wider
European Union. Soon I will begin full time work with CPT in Hebron, Palestine.
To learn more about CPT, their projects and work, and how you can become
involved, please visit cpt.org Peace for the journey, Michael
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